7 Sustainable Goals for the New Year

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Are you ready to create sustainable goals for the coming year?

Embracing sustainability will help you reduce waste, live more frugally, and reduce your impact on your local environment. While some lifestyle changes are challenging, you’ll make this effort easier by implementing a few sustainable home design ideas.

1. Energy Efficiency Is a Key Factor in Achieving Your Sustainable Goals

Changing how you use energy should be at the top of your list of sustainable New Year’s resolutions. Reducing energy consumption will significantly improve your household’s sustainability. But even if you are careful to conserve, there may be some hidden energy drains throughout your home. 

Each fall and spring, you should spend a few minutes running your bare hand along the window sills and doorframes in your home. A temperature change will tell you that there’s a leak that needs sealing.

Did You Know: Switching to LED light bulbs will boost sustainability in several ways. They provide the same amount of light while emitting less ambient heat, and they last for years. While the upfront cost is higher than incandescent bulbs, the long-term savings will be worthwhile.

2. Thinking About Changing Your Flooring? Consider a More Sustainable Option

A woman sweeps a room with hardwood plank flooring as she meets her sustainable New Year’s resolutions.

If you’re considering a renovation or remodel this New Year, keep your sustainable goals in mind and consider getting rid of carpeting throughout your home. Carpet fibers collect pest droppings, pet dander, dust, and other contaminants. You’ll consistently waste resources keeping your carpets clean.

You can make maintenance easier by replacing your carpeting with durable flooring options. When you install bamboo or luxury vinyl flooring, caring for your floors will require fewer resources and take up less time. 

3. Bring Work Sustainability Features Into Your Home Office

If your sustainable New Year’s resolutions include updating your home office to reduce waste, consider implementing concepts for sustainability in the office. Look for ways to follow sustainable workplace practices in your home office, such as reducing paper waste by keeping everything digital.

Try to buy used office equipment. If more people reuse electronic machines, manufacturers will have a smaller demand to meet. It’s also cheaper to repair a printer or desktop computer when compared to buying brand-new machinery.

4. Tackle Your Kitchen to Make a Bigger Impact

The kitchen in any home is the biggest source of waste, so focus on this area to make the biggest impact with your sustainable goals. To start, ditch your paper towels. Instead, pick up some cloth dish towels at a flea market or discount store. You can use these washable towels to clean spills and wrap fresh food.

Replace disposable plastic cups with drinking glasses or durable, multiuse plastic cups. Instead of buying plastic containers for food storage, save lunch meat or takeout containers. For greater sustainability in your kitchen, use vegetable and fruit peels for mulch.

Looking for more sustainable living tips? Find more ideas in this short video:

5. Think About Bathroom Sustainability to Reduce Water Waste

A mother and daughter wash broccoli under a low-flow kitchen faucet that helps them meet their sustainable goals.

Your home’s bathroom is a source of significant water waste. Every time you brush your teeth, you can save more than three gallons of water by shutting the faucet off until you’re ready to rinse. Another great idea is to install a toilet/sink combo. The sink drain will carry the water waste to the toilet tank, where it gets used for the next flush.

Additionally, replace your faucets and showerhead with low-flow options. These fixtures will reduce water usage. In addition to saving gallons of water each year, your water heater will have to heat a lower volume of water. This will help you conserve energy as well, meeting your sustainable goals on two fronts.

6. Achieve Your Sustainable New Year’s Resolutions in Your Living and Dining Room

You can redesign your dining and living rooms to meet your sustainable goals in a variety of ways. When you’re looking for design ideas for a sustainable dining room, turn to your local antique or secondhand stores. You can find used dining table sets and cabinetry at a lower cost. 

In some cases, used dining furniture may only need a fresh finish coating. But even if antique furniture requires sanding, painting, and finishing, the extra work may be worthwhile. As with electronics, buying used items will reduce the demand placed on manufacturers.

Pro Tip: Find your decor for free! As you spend time at the beach or go hiking in the woods, keep your eye out for driftwood, colorful stones, or smooth glass. You can turn nature’s gifts into attractive decor for any room in your home.

7. Find Natural Solutions for Keeping a Clean Home

Even after you finish designing your home to match your sustainable New Year’s resolutions, you can include more sustainable living tips in your daily routine. 

For example, you can get rid of harsh chemical cleaners. Instead, look for green options that use natural ingredients. Green household cleaners are just as effective without the harmful attributes that bleach, ammonia, and other strong chemicals produce.

Sustainable goals can also keep your home smelling fresh. Many plants and flowers are useful as cheap and effective air fresheners. Some common air-purifying plants that are easy to maintain include:

  • Pothos vines
  • Snake plants
  • Chinese evergreens
  • Dragon trees
  • Spider plants

If you’re looking for something more colorful, look for flowers that give off fresh scents and require little care. Ideal flowers for indoor environments include the peace lily, orchid, laceleaf, and African violet.

Enjoy the Lasting Effects of Sustainable Living

While you might embrace sustainability in 2024 as a means of reducing waste and helping the environment, you’ll notice positive personal benefits. Many of these suggestions will result in healthier living by removing toxins from the home. 

As you experience the rewards of sustainability, you’ll feel motivated to implement more challenging lifestyle changes.

 

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